Warriors Field Hockey Shut Down by Colonials

A stubborn defense, combined with a strong midfield attack proved to be a tough combination for the Wayland High girls' field hockey team to handle.

Led by a balanced attack, Acton-Boxborough registered three different goal scorers en route to a 3-0 shutout win over the Warriors in Saturday night’s Dual County League clash at a wind-chilled Acton-Boxborough Regional High school.

With the win, the Colonials remained unbeaten at 3-0-2 while the Warriors earned their first loss of the season and fall to 2-1-1.

“They controlled the ball at the middle of the field,’’ said Warriors’ coach Shelley Fraser. “Every time we tried to drive the ball down field and create a scoring opportunity, someone was always there to break up the pass, make a great play with their stick and clear the ball out of our zone. They’re one of the top teams in the league, and we always embrace the challenge of playing against them.”

In the opening minutes, the Warriors created several opportunities. Off a pass from Grace Perkins, Catherine Barber unloaded a shot from just outside the circle, but the ball was deflected well wide of the cage. Moments later, off a free hit, the Warriors threatened again as Bailey McAfee unloaded a shot from the middle of the field from relatively close range that was deflected by a Colonial defender.

“Wayland is a great team and they always give us a challenge,’’ said Colonials’ coach Mae Shoemaker. “We’re a young team, and we’re still trying to figure things out. The girls came out a little tentative at first, but we were able to make some adjustments and play our style of hockey from both ends of the field.”

Midway through the first half, the Colonials broke the ice and grabbed the 1-0 lead. Off a penalty corner, Emily Loebs fired a shot from point blank range. Goalkeeper Maddie Kiefer stopped the initial shot, but Leah Cardarelli knocked in the rebound short side with 15:40 remaining in the first half.

“Once we were able to score and get out in front, the girls were playing with more and more confidence,’’ said Shoemaker. “We were able to shut down their offensive attack and limit their shots inside the circle.”

Just more than four minutes later, the Colonials struck again for the 2-0 lead. On another penalty corner, Kyra Beaudoin unloaded a loose shot from deep inside the circle, and fired a shot from point blank range. Kieffer stopped the initial shot, but Beaudoin emerged from a scrum and poked in the rebound into the back of the net with 11:05 remaining.

“They kept pressuring us in our zone, and they were able to take advantage of their opportunities,’’ said Fraser. “I thought our defenders held them off well, but they were still able to penetrate inside the circle and take some good quality shots.”

In the final minutes of the first half, the Warriors generated an opportunity from just outside the circle. On a free hit, Ellen Barber fired a pass to Catherine Barber, who unloaded a shot from the 25-yard line, but the ball was whisked away by a Colonial defender.

Early in the second half, the Colonials added an insurance goal and extended the lead to 3-0. On an odd player rush, Colleen Fowler penetrated through a pair of Warrior defenders and fired a shot past goalkeeper Erin Curtin with 24:26 remaining in the second half.

Throughout the remainder of the second half, the Warriors aimed to create scoring chances, but the defensive led unit of Amanda Frank, Allie Renzi along with Eleana Cardarellii and Maggie Bettez held strong, allowing just one Warrior shot on goal over the final 15 minutes of the game.

“It’s always a learning experience for us when we play Acton-Boxborough,’’ said Fraser. “We played better in the second half as we made some adjustments, but you can’t win many games when you are unable to get a lot of quality shots from inside the circle. We need to work on some things, and we’ll continue to improve.”